6 dead in North Texas floods

Six deaths are being blamed on torrential rainfall that flooded several North Texas towns on Monday. While many are attempting to pick up the pieces in North Texas, most of Texoma south of the Red River received even more rainfall Wednesday morning, with areas reporting anywhere from a half-inch to 2 inches of rainfall.

Another morning shower on Wednesday brought another 1/2 inch to 2 inches of rainfall to North Texas, where many are still recovering and picking up the pieces from Monday's severe flooding. Storms brought wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour in Gainesville.

Fannin County received the most of the rainfall on Wednesday morning, with some locations reporting three inches of rainfall. Some flooding has been reported, but none the likes of what Grayson and Cooke counties saw earlier this week.

Lives lost

In Sherman, Patricia Beshears, 48, of Denison, was killed when her vehicle flooded after stalling in rapidly rising water.

The body of Reginald Gattis, 74, was found in his pickup about a mile south of Sherman city limits at Highways 11 and 1417, said Lt. David Hawley of the Grayson County Sheriff's Office.

Texas Governor Rick Perry dispatched three helicopters and other Texas National Guard troops and equipment to help with searches around the state before declaring four counties, including Cooke and Grayson, as disaster areas.

A family tragedy in Gainesville

Floodwaters on Monday had swept away the Arnett-Mollenhour's mobile home with five family members inside. The bodies of Makayla's 5-year-old sister, Theresa Lee-Ann Arnett, and grandmother, Billie Merle Mollenhour, 60, were recovered on Monday.

The body of Makayla Marie Mollenhour, the two-year-old sister, was found late Tuesday after the family's mobile home was carried off its foundation and lodged against a bridge on Monday. The girls' mother was pulled to safety.

In the Fort Worth suburb of Haltom City, a four-year-old girl was apparently swept from her mother's arms and drowned when a flash flood inundated a mobile home park.

In Gainesville, where the ground was already saturated from weekend storms, received four inches of rain on Monday, and the water rose quickly along flood-prone Pecan Creek.

Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum declared a state of emergency and Governor Rick Perry declared Grayson as one of four counties deemed "areas of disaster."

"Nobody can remember this much water this quickly," Bynum said. "It cut our county in half. The folks on the west side of Sherman couldn't get to the east side of Sherman."

The brown water from Post Oak Creek began rising around 4:30 a.m. and started creeping toward hundreds of low-lying apartments on Archer Drive.

Sherman firefighters first tried to evacuate the residents with school buses.

But the current was so swift that it pushed the first bus of evacuees downstream. So dump trucks and front-end loaders were brought in to haul the residents to dry ground where they boarded school buses to shelters at the Wilson N. Jones Hospital and Fairview Baptist Church.

"Water was so high, a dump truck was the only thing that could get them out of there," Bynum said.

During rescue efforts across the city, a Sherman firefighter was struck by lightning and treated for burns. That worker had returned to work and is believed to be okay.

Two Tom Bean firefighters had to be rescued after their boat capsized, leaving them stranded in a tree for two hours before other firefighters could pull them out of the floodwaters.

A Sherman fire truck, engine and car were swept downstream.

"They parked well out of the water to go rescue people, and when they came back, it flooded in areas where just five minutes before it was dry," said Sherman Fire Chief J.J. Jones.

If you would like to help out the flood victims in Cooke County, the American Red Cross is taking donations at 1608 West Highway 82 in Gainesville. You can reach them at 940-665-5591. They will be providing food for all volunteers and victims on Saturday.

In The Community

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- TISHOMINGO, Okla. -- The Murray State College President’s Scholars Program (PSP) is hosting a 5K Color Fun Run open to all ages. The money raised from sponsors and participants will be contributed to the Veteran’s Scholarship Fund.

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- SHERMAN, Texas -- 903 Brewers was recently awarded a Silver medal for the company’s Sasquatch Chocolate Milk Stout in the American Style Imperial Stout category at the New York International Beer Competition.

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